Sentiment or Emotion

Ideas flow through my head like waves upon the shore (and if I don’t write them down they will disappear just as fast). At the same time I want the statues I make to stand like the rocks on which the waves are crashing. And that is not easy.

An idea is something fleety and that which defines a statue is in fact just as ethereal. A sculpture should be able to dally, to seduce, to distract. Show both beauty and its reverse. A bit like a human being. A person can be beautiful, kind and cute but also brutal, sly and nasty, all at the same time. And someone who is nothing but nice and gentle all the time will undoubtedly be used and in the end find himself destroyed. You have to set some limits and take care of yourself. Know your own starting point and finish and guard those boundaries.

Every sculpture starts with a perception. A belief that might be vague and fluttering around. It could be just anything. And then when you start creating the sculpture it is also the beginning of a long conversation between yourself and your statue. From the start your initial idea acts like a guide. But you had better observe as you are progressing. Won’t it become boring? Is this what I want it to express? There is also a possibility that at a certain point the sculpture seems to have a mind of its own and wants to become something I did not intend. And I Will Have to Go Along With This New Sculpture! If another sculpture is emerging, the one I started with will have to wait. Right now this emerging one is more important.

Back to the statue. Initially I am pleased, this is it. Is this all? Will it sustain? Is it good enough? In general the sculpture needs some time to mature. It is traditional to feel a strong attachment to something that’s just finished. It may take some time and distance to reveal its true meaning. When it does, you are able to see if it is still an idea, a story, just a shell or if it really transformed into your initial concept. What does this brand new statue do to you. Does it awaken a string of reflections already imbedded in your head or does it invoke new images. It should really be the last one. A sculpture should activate original thoughts and not just refer to old patterns. That is precisely why I like art so much and why it is so dear to me. I already know all about the mundane things. It is much more interesting to look out for unfamiliar things and thoughts. The possibility to enlighten an acclaimed condition. Then your growth is unlimited. That is not sentiment, that is emotion.